Automatic starter for electric motors



March 15, 1932. H. P. CHANDLER 1,849,281

AUTOMATIC STARTER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS Original Filed March 2. 1928 HC?. 2 Inventor \NTTN I 5 02152 1 GHAJYD 1e Attorney Patented Mar. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE HOMER I. CHANDLER, F MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY AUTOMATIC STARTER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS 1929. Serial My invention relates to automatic circuit breakers and has for its object a device which can be closed by the manual operation of a handle in one direction and opened by the manual operation of the said handle in the opposite direction and which will be automatically opened if the current flowing through the device equals or exceeds a predetermined value.

My inventionresides in the new and novel construction, combination and relation of the various elements hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of my invention mounted upon one side of a base.

Fig. 2 is a side View of the device showing the mechanism which is mounted upon both sides at the base.

This application is a division of my coending case, Serial Number 258,528 filed arch 2, 1928.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I employ a base or panel 26 on which is mounted a terminal 27, from which leads a conductor 28 which may be connected to a source of power. On the panel 26 is mounted a shaft 29 which passes through the panel and to the lower end of which may be secured a handle of the wheel or lever type for manually operating the switch to either its opened or closed position by rotating the shaft 29.

Mounted upon the shaft and arranged to rotate independently thereof is a member 30 with a projecting lug 31 to which one end of a spring 32 is secured and the other end of the spring is secured to a fixed terminal 33. This spring is normally under tension and when the switch is in the closed position, the spring is under added tension tending to hold the switch blade in contact with its terminal 27, as later explained.

Projecting from the member 30 and in lateral alinement with the shaft 29 is a standard 34 having a clevis construction as shown in Fig. 1 and provided with a pivotal pin 35 and a holding pin 36. Pivotally mounted upon the pin 35 is an armature 37 formed of soft iron and which projects over the end Original application filed March 2, .1928, Serial No. 258,528. Divided'and this application filed March 29,

of the shaft 29. Mounted upon the shaft 29 is a magnetizing coil 38 which, when energized, magnetizes the shaft 29 and when magnetized sufficiently will draw the armature 37 toward the end of the shaft 29. The distance between the armature 37 and the end of the shaft 29 is. adjusted by means of the screw 39, and the tension upon the. armature 37 for resisting the magnetic pull upon the armature 37 is controlled and adjusted by the spring 40 and the screw and nut 41.

The member 30 is also provided with a side projection 42 with clevis elements 43 mounted thereon and a pin 44. Pivotally mounted upon the pin 44 is a trigger 45, the rear end of which has pivotally secured thereto a clevis bolt 46 by means of the pin 47. The threaded portion of the bolt 46 passes through the rear end of the armature37 and has an adjustable nut 48 thereon, and interposed between the rear ends of the armature 37 and the trigger is a spring 49 tending to move the rear ends of the elements 37 and 45 apart. With the armature 37 in a fixed position, the spring 49 will tend to force the rear end of the trigger downward and the forward or pointed end upward and there is no interference of the relative movement of the members 37 and 45 other than a movement of the forward end of the armature 37 under an attractive force of the magnetized shaft which will positively force the forward or pointed end of the trigger45 downward through engagement of the armature 37 with the nut 48 and thus release the switch mechanism, as later explained.

From this it will be seen that all the parts thus far explained as related to element 30 arerotatable upon the shaft 29 and independent thereof.

Also mounted upon the extreme end of the shaft 29 is a member 50 having a projecting portion 51 and another projecting portion 52. The projecting portion 52 is provided with a spring 53 which has its remote end secured to a fixed post 54 and having sufiicient tension and constantly tendin to rotate the circuit through the switch will be opened. hlounted upon the portion 51 is a roller 56.

hen the breaker is free to open, the spring 53 will rotate the member 50 with its connected parts until the right hand end of the member 51 engages the lined stop 57 secured to the base and the pointed end of the member 45 will then rest underneath the roller 56 and the spring 49 will be depress-ed, but not sul'liciently to cause any movement of the armature 37 as the tension of the spring ll) is less than that of the spring The spring 32 is at all times biased to rotate the part and it is connected about the axis of the shaft 29 and until the part e3 engages the fixed stop 57. lVhen the part 30 is in the position just explained, the right hand end of the member 51 is in engagement with the post 57 and then the switch is in its open position In order to close the switch the is fixedly mounted upon the shaft 29 a member 58 by means of pin 59. he member 58 is provided with a projecting member 60 adapted to engage a projecting lug 61 forming an integral part of the member 30 such that when the handle and shaft 29 are rotated in a clockwise direction, when looking at Fig. 1, the member 58 with its integral member 60 will rotate also in a clockwise direction until the lug 60 engages the lug 61 on the member 30 and continued rotation of the shaft 29 in a clockwise direction will tend to force the member 3 and its connected parts in a clockwise direction against increasing tension of the spring 32, and until the end of the trigger 4-5 passes and frees itself of the roller 56 then the spring 49 will force the rear end of the trigger downward and the pointed end upward in line and engagement with the roller 56.

If now the shaft is allowed to rotate in the opposite or anti-clockwise direction, the tension of the spring 32 will rotate the member 30 and its connected parts in a clockwise di rection as rapidly as the n'ioven'ient of the shaft and the lug will permit, and if the member 30 and its connected parts, including the trigger 45, rotate in an anti-clockwis direction, the trigger 45 will push again t the roller 56 and move the member 50 and its connected parts in an anti-clockwise direction a ainst the increasing tension of the lighter spring 53 until the member with the terminal 27, thereby closing the switch and the parts will be in the position as shown in Fig. 1.

If at any time while the shaft 29 is moving in an anti-clockwise direction under manual control, as is the case when the switch is closed, and if at the instant the member engages the terminal 27, an excessive rush. of current equalling or exceeding a predetermined value should flow through the coil 88, the armature 37 would be free to move under the increased magnetic influence of the coil 88 and this in turn would move the pointed end of the trigger downward and out of engagement with the roller 56 and permit he arm 51 to be quickly moved to an open position under the influence of the spring 5; regardlesi of the operators hands being still in engagement *ith the operating handle. Such quick opening of the svit h may occur at any time during the closing operation of the switch as the armatm'e 37 and the triggcr l?) are not restrained in any way from dis-engaging the arm 51 and permitting it to more to its fully open position under the tension of the spring 53. i

In order to manually release the mechanism to open the switch, it is only necessary, as will have been observed, to move the pointcd end of the trigger l-S downward and out of engagei'nent with the roller and, therefore, upon the member which rotates with he shaft 29, I provide a projecting member \32 which passes uinlcrncath the armature 37 and has a sloping lower face adapted to en- .i, with the pin 63 rigidly secured to and 'irojecting from the trigger Therefore it will be evl it that aslhe shaft 29 is rotated a sulhcient distance in an anti-clockwise dire'tion after the :n itch is closed, that the sloping smrface of the member (52 will en a the upper part of the pin, 63 and tend to force it and the trigger 4:5 downward, thus disengaging the pointed end of the trigger from the roller 56 and freeing the member 51 to rotate in an open direction under the action of the spring 53.

Due end of the coil 38 will be attached to the shaft 29 in any suitaolo manner and the other end to the terminal member (i l by means of the screw 63 whereby current will flow from the conductor 28 through the contacts 27 and. and the various operating parts to the shaft 29, thence through the coil 38 to the terminal. G l and out through the cable 66.

I claim:

1. A circuit controller comprising a fixed contact, a movable contact mountcdinwon an arm, the arm being rotatably mounted upon a shaft, a roller on the arm, a spring tcnsioned to move tl e movable contact away from the lined contact, a second member rotatably mounted upon the shaft and independent of the arm, a spring tensionod to move said second member opposite to that of the arm, a thrust member pivoted upon the second member and arranged to engage the roller and to move the arm and the contact thereon to engage the fixed contact, an armature pivoted on the second member and projecting above the end face of the shaft, a coil about the shaft to energize the shaft, connection between the thrust member and the armature to cause the thrust member to he moved out of en rement with the roller when the oil is energized to a n'edetermined amount. means to regulate the movement of the armagture relative to the energization of. shaf t, arthird member secured to the 'shaftfto. rotate withthe same, means on the thirdmember to engage the second member torotatethe second member against the tension of its spring and until the thrust member engages theroll- ,.er in line therewith when theshaftis rotated in one direction and continued rotation ofthe shaft moving the second member. and. the arm therewith, to close the contacts and against .the tension ofthefirst springandmeans on the third member to engage means on the thrustwarm. to release it from the rollerwhen the shaftis rotated to the other. direction and permit the contacts to separate ,under action of the first s rin the .coil-loein so connected as tobe energized when the contacts: engage -,and .-sufli ciently to tripthe armature when .the current therethrough vreaches na prede- Iterminedamount,and means to manually frotate the shaft to close the contactsand to dis- ,engage the contacts at will.

2. A circuit controller comprising. a fixed contact,a movable contact toengage the fixed contact, a rotatable shaft, an arm .rotatably V mounted on the shaft to move .with the movable contact and means biased to move the ,arm and contact in one direction, a second member .rotatably mounted on the shaftand yielding means tending to moveit o posite to that ,of the arm, a. third. member xed to theshaft to. rotate therewith and to engage androtate the second member against the tension of said yielding. means when the shaft rotates in one direction, a pivotally mounted 1 thrust member on the, secondinember arranged to engage thearmwhen the second member is rotated far enough; for the thrust .-member to move into engagement with the arm, an armature pivoted to thelsecondmem- .ber andprojecting over theendof the'shaft,

j adjustable means to. yieldingly hold the. ar-

. o her when the armature moves in one direction -,to-disengage the thrust member and arm, a

,w coil to energize the shaft to move the armaturewhen the currentthroughthe contacts exceed, a predetermined amount and having one end connected toone of the contacts,

o't the shaft in a predetermined. direction means to tripthe thrust member by rotation when? desired to open theswitch manually.

3. A control device comprising a fixed contact, a movable contact to engage and disengage the fixed contact and a movable arm upon which the movable contact is mountedfor moving the contact, a second movable member provided with means to engage and" disengage the arm and having a spring to .move the member and the arm when engaged by saidmeans in thesame direction to engage the contacts, means movable in one direction to operate the second member into engaging relation with the arm and to permit the arm and second member to move simultaneously under action of the spring to engage the contacts when the said means is moved in the opposite direction, electro-ma-gnetically operated means to move the engaging means and break the engagement between the arm and second member when the contacts engage and the currentthroughthe contacts exceeds a predetermined amount and aspring tending to move'the arm and its contact away from the fixed contact and independent of movement of the second member when the engagement between the arm and second member is broken. r

4. A control device comprising'a fixed contact, a movable contact to engage and disen gage the fixed contact, a pair of rotatable 'members to one of which the movable contact 1s secured to move the said contact, means to inter-engage the rotatable members for simultaneous movement in one direction, a spring to move the two members in said directionto engage the contacts, a spring to move one of the members independent of its other member to disengage the contacts, manually operated means to effect either an engagement or a disengagement of the members at will and automatically operated means to effect a disengagement of the members when current through the contacts exceeds a predetermined amount.

5. A control device comprising a fixed contact, a movable switch member having a contact to engage and disengage the fixed contact,a second movable member provided with means to engage and disengage the switch member and a spring to move the member and the switch member when engaged by said means in the same direction to bring the contacts into engagement and hold such engagement, means movable in one direction to operate the second member into engaging, rela tion with the switch member and to permit the switch member and second member to move simultaneously under action of the spring to bring the contacts into engagement when the said means is moved in the opposite direction, manually operated means to move theengaging means and break the engage ment between the arm and second mem her when the contacts engage and electromagnetic means to break said connection when the current through the contacts exceeds'a predeterminedamount and a spring niovement ofthe second member when the engagement between the switch member and qndgm mb r. b jpke tending to move the switch contact away 'from' the fixed contact and independent of 6. A control device comprising a fixed contact, a second contact to engage and disengage the fixed contact, a pair of rotatable members to one of which the second contact is secured to move the said contact, means to inter-engage the rotatable members for simultaneous movement in one direction, a spring to move the two members in said direction to engage the contacts, a spring to move one of the members independent of its other member to disengage the contacts, a manually operated means to eii'ect either an engagement or a disengagement at will of the members to close or open the contacts respectively.

7. A circuit breaker comprising a fixed c011- tact, a pivotally mounted arm having a con tact thereon to engage the fixed contact and close a circuit, means to move the arm to disengage the contacts, pivotally mounted mechanism to zmtomatically inter-engage with the arm to move the arm to engage the contacts and means to automatically move the mechanism, pivotally mounted and manually operated means to release the interengagement between the said arm and mechanism to permit the contacts to be automatically separated, the said pivotally mounted elements arranged to pivot about a common axis.

8. A circuit breaker comprising a fixed contact, a pivotally mounted arm having a contact thereon to engage the fixed contact and close a circuit, means to move the arm to disengage the contacts, pivotally mounted mechanism to automatically inter-engage with the arm to move the arm to engage the contacts and means to automatically move the mechanism, pivotally mounted and manually operated means to release the interengagement between the arm and mechanism to permit the contacts to be automatically separated, the said pivotally mounted elements arranged to pivot about a common axis and electrically operated means to release said interengagement when current through the contacts exceeds a predetermined value.

9. A circuit breaker comprising a fixed contact, a pivotally mounted arm carrying a contact thereon to engage the fixed contact and close a circuit, spring means to move the arm to disengage the contacts, pivotally mounted mechanism to automatically interengage with the arm to move the arm to bring the contacts into engagement and spring means to move the mechanism, electrically operated means forming a part of the pivotally mounted mechanism to effecta release of the inter-engagement between the arm and the mechanism to permit the contacts to automatically separate when current through the contacts exceeds a predetermined value, the pivotally mounted elements arranged to pivot about a common axis.

10. A circuit breaker comprising a movable switch member, an overload releasing mechanism, operating mechanism to close and hold the switch closed and having an independent-1y movable member to engage the switch member, the said movable member operated upon by the overload releasing mechanism to disengage the movable member from the switch member, a spring to hold the switch closed and a spring biased to move the switch member to open the switch after t 1e releasing mechanism has operated.

11. A circuit breaker comprising a movable switch member and a fixed switch memher, a pivoted operating member for the movable member and movable independently thereof, rotatably mounted means to actuate the operating member into engageable relation relative to the movable switch member, means to operate the operating member to actuate the movable switch member to close the switch, electrically operated pivoted means to actuate the operating member out of engaging relation with the movable switch member and means biased to open the switch, the axes of the said pivotal member and pivotal means being angularly disposed to the axis of the rotatably mounted means.

12. The combination of a fixed contact, a movable switch contact member biased to open, a tensioned operating member therefor to engage and move with the movable contact to close and hold the switch closed and movable independently of the movable contact to disengage the movable contact, manually operable means and automatically operable means to disengage the operating means from the movable contact.

13. A circuit breaker comprising a fixed switch member engageable by a movable switch member, a pivotally mounted overload releasing mechanism, pivotally mounted mechanism to close the switch, pivotally mounted mechanism to hold the switch closed and having an independently movable and pivotally mounted member to engage the movable switch member, the axis of the overload releasing mechanism and of the inde pendently movable member being angularly disposed to that of the pivotally mounted closing mechanism, the overload releasing mechanism provided with means to engage the said independently movable and pivotally mounted member to disengage the independently movable member from the movable switch member, a spring to hold the switch closed and a spring biased to move the movable switch member to open the switch after the releasing mechanism has operated.

I In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HOMER P. CHANDLER.

lit 

